Thursday, 14 January 2016

Rene Descartes Sets the Stage for Career of Teresa Susmaras

Teresa Susmaras practices in neuropsychology, which is new in neurological and psychological science. Psychology itself, or the study of the human brain, has an ancient history. As early as the Third Dynasty in Egypt, 3500BC, the priest and arguably the first scientific doctor in recorded history Imhotep, took a scientific approach to the understanding of the brain. In Imhotep’s writings complex theories regarding trauma, abnormalities and remedies combine with detailed studies on the connection between the brain and the body. Nonetheless, the brain was not regarded as an important part of bodily function, as men opted to approach medical studies from a religious point of view, blaming defects and anomalies on supernatural beings and evil spirits.

Hippocrates of the ancient Greeks regarded the brain as the house of the soul, being among the first to link the brain and behavior. Shifting the focus of study from the heart to the brain awakened interest in the brain as the origin of behaviors, setting the stage for Teresa Susmaras’ profession today. Hippocrates concept of mind was still seen as a phenomenon apart from the brain. Much later, French scientist and philosopher Rene Descartes in the 1600’s expounded his theory of rationalism as knowledge emerging from reasoning, and felt the pineal gland deep inside the brain was the home of the soul. Descartes felt the interaction of brain and body was mutual, a dualist point of view. Descartes’s views slowly penetrated the scientific consciousness for years to come, and have affected thought and study in many arms of medicine.

About Me

Teresa Susmaras completed her fellowship training in clinical psychology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. Her research into the origins of negative aggressive and impulsive behaviors may also contribute to new approaches to community psychology and emotion regulation, as well as more positive clinical placements, when appropriate. Susmaras’ domestic abuse volunteer counseling started very early on, during her formative years that took place during her undergraduate studies. Susmaras is accredited as a clinical psychologist in the state of Illinois. She will go on to work for one of the largest hospitals in the LaCrosse area.